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Menoyia is a village situated in the Larnaca district, seventeen kilometers southwest of the town of Larnaca and two kilometers southwest of Anglisides/Aksu. The origin of the name is obscure. It is possible that, like many other villages of Cyprus, this village was named after a feudal lord from the Lusignan period. In 1958, Turkish Cypriots adopted the alternative name Ötüken, the name of the sacred mountain of the ancient Turks. It was mentioned by Bilge Khan in the Orkhon inscriptions as, "the place from where the tribes can be controlled.” 

 

As can be seen in the above chart, the village had a mixed population until 1946. However, all the Greek Cypriots left the village after 1946. Whether this movement is related to conflict-related displacement or not needs to be scrutinized. Throughout the first half of the 20^th century, the population of the village increased gradually, rising from 116 persons in 1891 to 202 in 1946. However, following the departure of the Greek Cypriots in the 1950s, the population of the village declined, dropping from 202 in 1946 to 143 in 1960.

Displacement:

No one was displaced in 1963 and 1964, but the village served as a reception centre for Turkish Cypriot displaced families who had evacuated their villages. Richard Patrick recorded 12 displaced Turkish Cypriots still living in the village in 1971. This number was much higher before 1968, when there were many displaced Turkish Cypriots living in the village who had fled mainly from Lefkara(362), Pyrga(372), Anafotida(349) and Maroni(364). The village was also a military sub-region of the Larnaca enclave. The last conflict-related displacement took place during the 1974 war. After September 1974, most of the Turkish Cypriots from the village fled to the Turkish-controlled north of the island. Many also sought refuge in the Dhekelia British Sovereign Base Area until they were resettled in the north. The remaining Turkish Cypriots were evacuated by UNFICYP in August 1975, at their request. Most of the Turkish Cypriots of Menoyia/Ötüken were resettled in Spathariko(193) village in the Famagusta district, renaming it Ötüken after the Turkish alternative name of Menoyia. The total number of Turkish Cypriot displaced persons from this village is estimated to be around 210 (207 in 1973).

Current Inhabitants:

Currently the village is inhabited by displaced Greek Cypriots from the north. The 2001 census puts the village’s population at 50.  

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Websites:

• http://www.cyprus-village.com/ (for the villages)
• http://news.karpasha.com/
• http://human-rights-archaeology.blogspot.com/
• http://kypros.org/Occupied_Cyprus/ (for the villages in the north)